Global Airline Booking Flow

The Challenge

The way people book flights has been changing for as long as there have been airlines. From city reservation desks to travel agencies, from call centers to early online booking sites, to social media bots and even smart speakers, airlines have been investing heavily in how to reach their customers. But what’s the process like, who does it well, and which airlines need to put in some more work? What are the best practices, and what are some of the areas in which airlines can improve?

What We Did

We’re analyzing the ease of booking a trip, from picking dates and selecting a trip to choosing which kind of economy you want and where you’d like to sit — and what the whole process looked and felt like. Join us as we delve into how airlines are merchandising their inflight product, loyalty programs and lucrative credit cards, as well as other ancillary moneymakers, and ask the question: how hard is it to book a flight, and how easy should it be?

The Outcome

• How long the process takes on each airline's website.
• How many pages and popups are in each process.
• Choosing a flight: price, schedule, and codeshares.
• How the airlines handle seat and amenity selection.
• How loyalty and credit card programs are merchandised.
• Display of non-seat ancillaries like hotels and rental cars.